


Out of Reach

by her_majesty_wears_jeans



Category: Terra Nova (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode Tag, Female Friendship, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 14:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16064915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/her_majesty_wears_jeans/pseuds/her_majesty_wears_jeans
Summary: "However, at the moment, watching the lieutenant still standing stiffly near but not exactly close to Taylor’s bed, Elisabeth decided to risk it. The woman might not have needed anyone to talk to or to stay with her, but Elisabeth would be damned if she didn’t offer, especially when she knew no one else most certainly would."A missing scene from episode 1x04 What Remains. While waiting for Taylor to wake up, Elisabeth and Wash have a talk.





	Out of Reach

**Author's Note:**

> *shows up six years later with Starbucks* So, is anyone still alive in this fandom? 
> 
> I can't believe this is happening: I'm posting a TN fic! This took me probably like, a year, to finish but it's finally ready and I'm so excited to share it with you guys! I hope someone still cares because I know I'm just as much, if not more, trash than I was all those years ago when I first watched this show. 
> 
> This fic was supposed to be just a short drabble about Elisabeth's first impressions about Terra Nova's leaders, and then it somehow turned into a full character study, which was fine by me, though, since I adore both Elisabeth and Wash so much. I hope I did them justice. 
> 
> But yeah, without further ado, here's something I think might have gone down in "What Remains" after Elisabeth and Jim stopped making out at outpost three. Happy reading!

As the night fell, Elisabeth couldn’t help but wonder how she had once again ended up in the middle of the Cretaceous jungle. It was only her third week in Terra Nova, yet she’d found herself in the thick of it surely more times than required on her job description. She didn’t know, though, what to make of the fact that sitting in a racing army rover packed with guns didn't make her feel as out of place as it probably should have. 

They were on their way back from outpost three; Jim was driving through the foliage with speed Elisabeth would’ve normally called him an idiot for, but they were in a hurry. She’d found a cure for the pathogen but she still needed to make it work in practice, preferably before she would start sneezing, and Taylor would have infected half the colony.

They were about twenty clicks out when Jim finally managed to get ahold of Lt. Washington. Jim was smirking as he informed the lieutenant they’d be arriving soon enough with the cure, which made Elisabeth suspect there was a running joke of sorts going on between the two she didn’t know about. Jim had revealed, suspiciously cheerily, that he seemed to have a knack for getting under Wash’s skin.

It might have been the static but when they gave an ETA of 45 minutes, Elisabeth was pretty sure she heard the other woman mutter something that resembled “oh thank goodness”, so when Jim looked like he was preparing another smug remark, she jabbed him with her elbow.

“Focus on driving, Shannon”, Washington commented as Jim yelped. “We need your wife back here in one piece.”

Elisabeth grabbed the comm., signaling Jim to keep his eyes on the trees ahead of them. “I’d much prefer that myself as well, lieutenant. We’ll be there shortly. Over and out.”

“You’re getting good at this”, Jim remarked, nodding towards the receiver. “Enjoying working on the field?”

Elisabeth shrugged. She had to admit that the unique mixture of cutting-edge technology and foolproof old techniques that were staples in medicine in Terra Nova was exhilarating. She had seen her share of action back in the 22ndcentury, gotten her hands dirty every now and then, but not in the innovative way she had needed to recently. The novelty of it had at least yet to wear off.

“It’s nice for a change.”

“I’m just saying that I can’t really replace you in the lab, I don’t have the brains for it. So if you decided to make a run for my spot, I suppose I’d soon be out of work”, Jim said, steering the rover over a shallow stream.

She huffed out a laugh. “As much as I dislike you putting yourself in tight spots, I still like your chances against the local wildlife better than mine. You handled the lone ovosaurus quite nicely just now.”

“At least I bested the science officer back there”, Jim smirked. 

Elisabeth turned to look at the unconscious men in the back of the rover. “I still can’t believe you knocked him out.”

Jim hummed, sobering up a little as he claimed it had been the easiest way to stop Malcolm from panicking. “We needed to find the cure so we could leave and find Taylor.”

Elisabeth didn’t fully support his logic but didn’t say anything, exasperated rather than truly angry. They still had problems to deal with; they didn’t have time to dwell on the ones they had managed to solve.

“Do you think he’ll have reached the colony already?” she asked.

“I hope not. He seemed pretty lethal in that G. I. Joe mode. I guess Wash would’ve said something if they had 20 on him, though.”

The comm. device beeped then, the sound surprisingly loud in the dark night even over the roar of their vehicle.

“Speak of the devil”, Jim quipped before answering, “Go ahead, Wash.”

They were soon approaching the gate; Elisabeth could make out the colony’s lights in the distance. She paid only a little attention to Jim’s conversation with the lieutenant, letting his words about Taylor and the possibility of an amnesia epidemic take precedence in her mind.

They reached the colony not long after, leaving the soldiers on the gate in charge of unpacking the rover and the rest of its passengers. Jim gave her a quick kiss, saying Wash had told him to come straight to command. Assuming her husband, too, would jump right in by helping to look for the commander, Elisabeth felt less guilty for not checking on her kids before rushing to the lab. She was anxious to start producing the cure, hoping that the faster she worked, the fewer people they’d have to vaccinate.

She hadn’t expected to see Jim, nor Taylor, quite so soon as only about half an hour later, her husband, along with Maddy, Reynolds, and lieutenant Washington hauled the unconscious commander to the infirmary.

Looking between Jim who was evening out his breathing, and Reynolds who immediately retracted the hand he’d gently brushed against Maddy’s upper arm, Elisabeth was almost afraid to ask. 

* * *

Having moved Taylor to a bed for a proper examination, Elisabeth obstructed nurse Ogawa to make sure the rest of his entourage didn’t require treatment, putting a stop to Washington’s insists they were fine with a glare.

“Sonic to the chest”, Jim laughed awkwardly once they were alone, “That’s got to hurt.”

Elisabeth made a noncommittal sound of agreement while checking x-rays to make sure the blast hadn’t broken any of Taylor’s ribs.

“You have any idea why Wash would shoot him?” he continued conspiratorially. “I doubt she was just releasing years worth of pent-up frustration with her CO.”

Elisabeth shook her head, finishing her examination and closing the program. “I suppose Maddy would know. Have you talked to her?”

Jim sighed. “She insisted she’d wait for you to get home.”

Elisabeth nodded with a frown. She was growing a little worried for her eldest daughter; it was unlike Maddy to be so quiet. “I’ll come as soon as I can”, she promised, genuinely meaning it. She just doubted it would be any time soon. “In the meanwhile, please try to get Maddy to go to bed.”

A glance towards her husband had her adding, “You should sleep yourself. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Jim smirked at her but all her eyes could focus on was the cringe above his cheekbone that had quickly turned black. She lifted her hand gingerly to brush her fingers against the bruise, relieved when Jim didn’t flinch under her touch. She kept her hand on his cheek even as she looked down to hide the sudden wave of emotion that washed over her. She was intensely grateful to remember him again, and a part of her, though it knew he was all right, craved the physical reminder he was there.

“Hey, hey, Elisabeth.” Jim cupped her jaw to force her to meet his eyes, “We’re all fine. It’s okay, Liz, you fixed it.”

Of course he knew exactly what was going on with her. Elisabeth gave him a smile that was weaker than she would’ve liked it to be, but when he leaned down for a kiss, she threw a quick glance around the room and having confirmed they didn’t have an audience, wrapped her arms around his neck while meeting his lips. His hands circled her waist, drawing her closer. Resting her forehead against his shoulder, she let herself linger in his embrace for just a moment before withdrawing.

She drew in a deep breath, collecting herself. “You should go fetch Maddy.”

Jim nodded, pecking her on the cheek and turning to leave. “See you at home.”

Satisfied he was okay to take care of their children, Elisabeth headed back to her patients. She ached to go with her family but her responsibilities as a mother would have to wait until she had filled her duties as a physician. Her colleagues at the infirmary, as well as Taylor himself, had made clear how vital she’d grown to be in the short time she’d lived in the colony.

Figuring the commander’s was as good a place to begin her rounds as any, Elisabeth decided to check up on him first.

Having turned at the corner with her head buried in the plex in her hand, she was glad to have lifted her gaze before crossing the room. Stopping on her tracks, Elisabeth grinned. She shouldn’t have needed to spot the long, dark ponytail or the gun holster to guess lieutenant Washington would’ve found her way to Taylor’s bedside.

On their first day in Terra Nova, when Elisabeth had asked Jim about the commander and if it seemed like he would punish them for bringing Zoe, Jim had relayed Taylor’s words but said the man was incredibly hard to read.

Some time later, after he’d gotten his gun and badge back, he’d complained about the rest of Taylor’s detail mistrusting him. Lt. Washington, especially, was according to Jim “the dictionary definition of stoic”, and ten times harder to decipher than the commander.

Elisabeth had taken her husband’s words in good faith but at the moment, standing across the room from the lieutenant in the infirmary, she wondered why something that was apparently a colony-wide challenge was so easy for her. To Elisabeth, reading the other woman was hardly an effort.

She held herself tall as she watched over the commander, not fidgeting or pacing, projecting the signature image of calm and collected – but there was guilt lingering over her features and in the distance she kept between herself and the gurney, and worry in the way her fingers curled around the handle of her gun. She had to be itching to reach out to touch the man on the table, and Elisabeth almost felt sorry for her for not being able to do so; it would have been a violation of regulations, and quite possibly also of the terms of a much more personal contract if the force with which her other hand was gripping the waistband of her jeans was anything to go by.

Loyalty looked exactly like that, Elisabeth decided, smiling at the tense yet surprisingly sweet picture the colony’s high-ups presented. She elected to circle back to the commander in a while and retreated quietly. 

* * *

When her stomach reminded her about the fact that she barely remembered the last time she’d eaten, Elisabeth emerged from the lab satisfied with the effectiveness of the flu vaccine she’d created. She grabbed a long-abandoned sandwich from her locker and snacked on it unhurriedly. There was a welcome lull in the infirmary while they waited for the remaining patients to awake. She supposed the situation in the colony was similarly quiet seeing that Lt. Washington had returned to the commander’s bedside.

Elisabeth realized she hadn’t had a private conversation with the lieutenant yet. She’d been meaning to, eager to get to know the woman the whole colony, not to mention the better half of her family, spoke so highly of. Jim had semi-seriously quipped that even if Wash hated him, he thought she was someone they could trust with practically anything if needed. Maddy had gushed about the survival training, duly impressed with the lieutenant for “bossing Josh around”. She had then smirked at her father, saying that if Washington had a problem with their family, it was only with the male members. 

Elisabeth was tempted to agree with Maddy’s assessment. The lieutenant had been, unjustifiably but understandably, wary towards their family when they’d arrived, but Elisabeth had never detected any outright hostility. Even when Washington had escorted Elisabeth out of Taylor’s office and back to the plaza, she’d been cool yet polite, adopting a posture that had made Elisabeth feel like the woman had been keeping her company as she’d anxiously waited for Jim rather than keeping an eye on them in case of trouble.

It had been exceedingly clear from the beginning, though, that Washington’s loyalties lied with her commander. She’d been courteous enough not to openly confront Jim, but he had sheepishly admitted that his wife was no longer the only woman whose glare he shied away from.

Elisabeth had merely chuckled at Jim’s suffering. She could sympathize with him, but at least at the moment, Elisabeth saw nothing intimidating in the unguarded look in Washington’s eyes as she stared ahead, deep in thought. Her fingers tapped on the edge of Taylor’s bed lazily, never crossing close enough to touch the man’s bound arms. Elisabeth had maybe expected the lieutenant to protest, but she hadn’t mentioned anything about the restraints placed on Taylor’s wrists, likely deeming the cautionary action warranted.

Elisabeth approached the woman, desperate to ask but afraid of overstepping.

“Hey”, she said quietly, making a show of checking Taylor’s vitals as not to seem intrusive.

Washington’s answering smile was small, to say the least, and she was quick to drop her eyes to the man in front of her. “How long do you think he’ll be out?”

“It’s hard to say with so few attendants in both the experimental and control groups”, Elisabeth answered absentmindedly as she read through her notes, momentarily forgetting she wasn’t talking to Malcolm but a civilian (she fully acknowledged the irony of that thought) who might not understand or appreciate the quip. Glancing up, she added hastily, “My best guess would be a few more hours.”

To Elisabeth’s surprise, the lieutenant cocked the corner of her mouth, nodding in response. The reaction reminded her about something she’d been wondering about.

“I’ve been meaning to ask”, she continued, gauging Washington’s reaction, “if you have a medical background.”

“I’ve been a certified field medic for over fifteen years”, the woman answered, and then, in the first show of initiating casual conversation Elisabeth had witnessed, gave her a curious look. “What made you ask?”

Elisabeth grinned. “It’s just a feeling I’ve had for a while now. I was almost content to declare it in my head when you first came in tonight, but it seems my curiosity got the better of me now and I needed an actual confirmation.” 

“You had obviously already performed an initial exam on Taylor, and provided us with all the necessary details and little else”, she explained further, thinking of how calm and efficient the lieutenant had been while escorting the unconscious commander to the infirmary. “That kind of composure seemed impressive even for an experienced soldier, so I guessed you had had some training.”

Washington didn’t say anything, only smiled somewhat wistfully, and Elisabeth could fully understand why Jim found the woman challenging. She had several unanswered questions but didn’t want to press, satisfied with the one answer she had already gotten. She deliberated if she should take her leave when she remembered there was something important she had yet to offer the lieutenant.

“I don’t think I said it earlier”, Elisabeth began, smiling warmly at the other woman’s confused look, “so thank you, for keeping Maddy safe.”

As expected, Washington brushed the thanks right off. “I’m sorry she got involved. It was a… “ she paused to search for a word, “ _difficult_ situation to be in.”

“I’m sure”, Elisabeth said tentatively.

Washington met her eyes slowly, seeming uneasier than at any point during their earlier conversations. “I must ask your discretion about today. Your daughter’s as well.”

It was easy enough to imagine why she didn’t want the details of the incident to grow into town gossip. Despite the formal format, though, Elisabeth got the feeling the lieutenant was protecting more than just her own or the commander’s image. She seemed to have a personal stake in the matter.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

They lapsed into a silence that was born out of weariness rather than awkwardness. The emotional toll the past 48 hours or so had taken on everyone involved was slowly starting to show. Elisabeth wondered how many hours straight lieutenant Washington had been on her feet, yet decided against offering her a chair. She wouldn’t take it anyway, possibly still “on duty” – if Elisabeth’s assessment of the woman was correct, she most likely wouldn’t stand down until the commander was lucid enough to take charge again, however many hours that would take.

Aside from Jim’s insubordination, which Elisabeth was infinitely grateful for in hindsight, Lt. Washington seemed to have the colony well in hand in Taylor’s absence. She must have gotten used to running things by his side over the years. From what little Elisabeth had gathered, the commander and his second trusted each other blindly. Even for two people who had faced war together, the connection was deep enough to make Elisabeth wonder just how far back their history went and if there was something between them they didn’t want anyone else to see.

She had tried not to make any assumptions about the lieutenant, per Jim’s insistence the woman was a Rubik’s cube with legs and more unpredictable (and lethal) than a wild animal, but the incident she’d witnessed earlier had still left Elisabeth fascinated. Carrying the unconscious commander with them, Washington had marched to the infirmary with Reynolds and by extension, Maddy and Jim, in tow. It had been clear who had been calling the shots. Jim had seemed utterly confused, and Maddy had been near hysterical, but Washington had barely blinked before starting to recite medical information. 

Elisabeth had been taken aback by the case that had abruptly fallen into her lap, so it had taken her a second or two to get back on track and start assessing the situation. When she’d asked if everyone else had been all right, Washington and Reynolds had shared a cryptic look before assuring they were all fine. The lieutenant had then informed Elisabeth that she’d shot the commander with a sonic at close range, her tone indicating she would not offer any additional details.

Elisabeth had sensed there had been more than she’d been telling – there always was with the woman, that much she had figured out by then – but Maddy had been unharmed, and Washington had offered all the useful information about the commander, so whatever it had been, it hadn’t really been Elisabeth’s business.

However, at the moment, watching the lieutenant still standing stiffly near but not exactly close to Taylor’s bed, Elisabeth decided to risk it. The woman might not have needed anyone to talk to or to stay with her, but Elisabeth would be damned if she didn’t offer, especially when she knew no one else most certainly would.

“Maddy didn’t really tell me what happened, but it was clear she was rather awestruck by your actions tonight”, she said carefully. “And I doubt she’d be impressed with you shooting the commander for anything less than a valid reason.”

Washington shook her head with a rueful smile. “I never should have let the situation progress to that point. He managed to get the drop on me, and instead of trying to overpower him, I thought I could talk it out.”

Elisabeth raised an eyebrow, trying to imagine a situation in which the woman in front of her, though undoubtedly well versed in combat, could take down the commander who was if not more skilled at the very least taller and stronger. “Jim told me he didn’t really fare well against Taylor, hence the black eye.”

“He thought he was in Somalia back in 2138 **.** We were stationed there for two years; I was a part of his unit until a couple of months before the war ended when I took a round to the back in an ambush.”

She was perfectly casual about her injury that had no doubt been anything but minor; as a doctor, Elisabeth was furious. She would’ve had a few chosen words for the woman but something about her stature gave Elisabeth pause. Her choice of words, the high-strung shoulders… Washington blamed herself, Elisabeth realized with a frown. She felt guilty for getting shot. Not following the lieutenant’s line of reasoning, Elisabeth suppressed the urge to shake her head in disbelief.

“You were medevac’d?” she supposed.

Washington nodded. “That’s why Taylor was stunned to see me, and that’s why I thought I’d try reasoning before attacking my CO.”

“Maddy and Reynolds bursting in must have disturbed the scene.”

“You could say so. I didn’t get them out of there fast enough, and Taylor managed to get ahold of Reynolds. He held a knife to his throat, demanding to see his wife.” Her voice changed from factual to defeated. “Ayani… was kidnapped and killed during the war.”

Elisabeth didn’t say anything, as there wasn’t anything to say. Taylor’s wife and Somalia were understandably touchy subjects for the man himself but apparently for Washington as well. Elisabeth would have preferred not to think about all the horrors they had undoubtedly faced there.

“You told commander Taylor his wife was dead?” she guessed instead, not knowing who to feel more sorry for.

“I did”, Washington answered in a low tone. “He’d let Reynolds go; I thought I’d managed to calm him down. I told him Ayani was gone and that Terra Nova was our home now. I told him about the pathogen and promised to help him. But he didn’t want to remember, and he still had the knife…” she drifted off, letting Elisabeth fill in the rest. “I shot him before he managed to do anything rash.”

There was definitely guilt behind her eyes but instead of daring to assume to know what the other woman was feeling, Elisabeth said, “You saved his life, Alicia.”

She’d been so vehement to get her to see things in that light it took a couple of seconds for Elisabeth to realize she had addressed the lieutenant by her first name. Alicia’s responding smile, however, was so welcoming that Elisabeth decided she had the permission to call her that in the future.

The lieutenant’s smile faded as quickly as it had appeared, though, as her gaze fell back to her commanding officer. The hand that had been loosely clasped behind her back came to stroke the handle of her gun, her eyes glossing over as she clearly thought back to a different time.

“I hope Nathaniel sees it like that when he wakes up”, she murmured, her voice so silent Elisabeth doubted the sentence was meant for her ears. At any rate, she wasn’t stupid enough to comment on Alicia’s turn of preaching the protocol. There was a lot between the commander and his second that Elisabeth didn’t know about, and some of that history was clearly weighing on the lieutenant at the moment.

“I’m sure he’ll understand”, Elisabeth said gently.

Indulging the sudden urge to at least try to comfort the woman, Elisabeth decided to steer the conversation down a different path by praising Alicia’s reflexes and quick thinking. She was modest, of course, quickly turning the tables by thanking Elisabeth for curing everyone.

“Well, I did have a vested interest in finding an antidote”, Elisabeth remarked, determined to keep things light and therefore not allowing herself to think about those first few hours she had tried to make sense of Guagenti’s notes while chanting the names of her children to keep herself from forgetting. “And so did Jim.”

She provided a shortened version of her own experience with the pathogen. A smile tugged on the corner of Alicia’s mouth when Elisabeth mentioned Jim decking Malcolm. It had been quite the feat to get him and Brady in the rover, but Elisabeth had ignored Jim’s suggestion of leaving them there. The lieutenant had already sent another team to the outpost to take care of the catatonic researchers. Elisabeth had equipped and informed them; at the moment they were all waiting for confirmation that the treatment had worked.

“I’ll be here till I’ve made sure everyone who was exposed is in the clear”, Elisabeth said softly, the doctor in her awakening rapidly with the realization that the woman in front of her had probably neglected her own needs in favor of those of the colony and Taylor for the past days. “And it’s the middle of the night, there’s no need for both of us to lose sleep. I can come find you when the commander’s up.”

“It looks like dawn, actually”, Alicia remarked. Her gaze swept carefully over Taylor and then casually over the room before settling on Elisabeth, who gave her a coaxing smile but was determined to stare the lieutenant down if needed.

Alicia gave in in half the time Elisabeth had prepared for.

“I do have things to do”, she admitted somewhat reluctantly, squaring her shoulders and slipping back to her role of acting first in command. “I’ll be back, let me know if he comes to before that?”

“You’ll be the first to know”, Elisabeth promised.

Offering a curt parting nod, Alicia headed out with a brisk stride. Watching the nearby soldier scramble after his CO, Elisabeth decided to check on her other patients, wondering if she’d just received a request or an order, and how special the former would make her. 

* * *

True to her word, when Alicia was still out around the time Elisabeth expected the commander to start waking up, Elisabeth didn’t hesitate to disrupt the lieutenant’s duties. She appeared in short order, looking composed as ever but shooting Elisabeth a questioning look that betrayed just how nervous she was.

Elisabeth had known Alicia had been on edge all night but it was only then she realized that there might have been a reason for it beyond the worry for Taylor’s condition. She didn’t care much for protocols or picking orders herself, but the soldier in front of her, who was no doubt accustomed to practically everything being run by her first, had trusted her to fix the outbreak without reservation. While that thought was somewhat humbling, Elisabeth berated herself for not having explained the cure more thoroughly. She made a note to be available the next day in case Alicia had questions about the science behind it. She’d already vaccinated everyone infected and the ones who had come in close contact with them, aside from Jim who was immune, and Alicia who had refused, claiming she didn’t have time as she had a colony to run. Elisabeth hag agreed on the condition that Alicia would come find her straight away if she began to experience any symptoms, but she was secretly pleased Alicia had spent half the night at the infirmary where she’d been able to keep an eye on her.

A low grunt from Taylor snapped Elisabeth back to the present. “Okay, take it easy, take it easy, commander”, she said, gripping the man’s shoulder to keep him from sitting up. Alicia mirrored the action, her hand shooting out to steady Taylor; Elisabeth wasn’t sure if the woman had finally given in to her need to touch him or if it had been purely instinctual. 

“Can you tell me where you are?”

Taylor looked around, or to the woman standing next to him, before answering the question correctly. Alicia caught Elisabeth’s eyes. She gave her a nod and they made quick work on the restraints around Taylor’s wrists. Alicia kept her hold on the commander’s bicep as Elisabeth filled him in on the pathogen, doing her best to suppress the urge to smirk at the way Taylor’s confused gaze kept flickering to his second, who soon heeded Elisabeth’s request to give the man time to rest.

In an effort to give him some privacy, Elisabeth busied herself with the plex in her hand as Taylor came further out of his stupor. She was not the least bit surprised his first coherent thoughts were towards Washington. The lieutenant hadn’t managed to take more than three steps before he called for her. Elisabeth snuck a peek as the woman turned around in an automatic response to her commanding officer.

“You shot me”, Taylor said, and only being able to peek at Alicia’s face, Elisabeth couldn’t tell the exact reason for the commander’s inquisitive tone. She was in the perfect place, though, to catch the strain of the previous night behind Alicia’s eyes.

“I did, sir.”

Having kept her stature upright and voice even as she’d answered, the change in the lieutenant’s expression was beyond minute. In his current state, Elisabeth couldn’t really fault Taylor for not picking up on anything out of the ordinary.

His response was an odd one. “Good job”, he smiled, and while Elisabeth had been sure the commander wouldn’t fully reprimand the lieutenant for her actions, she hadn’t exactly known to expect an outright praise.

Neither had Alicia, judging by the obvious crack in her façade; Elisabeth knew the weight that had been lifted from her shoulders would have been visible to anyone, should they have paid attention. It seemed she was the only one, however, to eavesdrop on the conversation, which she was sure they would both have appreciated. There was something intensely private in the brief smirk Alicia offered Taylor and the way he held her gaze until she left.

Elisabeth took her cue as well, clapping the commander’s boot on her way, not fighting the smile that was both satisfied and relieved. She thought she had earned the right to be proud of herself. Somewhere between nearly making out with her ex-ex-boyfriend and fully making out with her then-supposed husband, and playing witness to the inner workings of the colony’s chain of command, she had managed to find and develop a cure for the modified pathogen.  Alicia had already taken the opportunity to thank her on everyone’s behalf, telling the commander, too, would probably want a word with her the following day but at the moment, Elisabeth was frankly exhausted and immensely grateful she soon got to go home to Jim and their children.

She had a few words with Malcolm before heading for her locker, momentarily leaning against the cool surface with a sigh as she filed away some of the incidents of the last couple of days that were right up there with Josh being surrounded by slashers, and Jim getting thrown in Golad.

Elisabeth stepped out of the hospital, shielding her eyes from the bright midday sun. Letting her gaze wash over the busy marketplace, she reveled in the homey feeling the image awoke. She had known to expect challenges, and despite not having prepared for amnesia-inducing pathogens, life in the Cretaceous had proven itself manageable, enjoyable even. She could see it all around her; people whose “fresh start” had passed, grown into everyday life. It was far from smooth sailing, but as Alicia had pointed out the previous night, Elisabeth had already proven herself able to handle the unforeseen.

Spotting the woman in question coming down from command, Elisabeth raised her eyebrows. She was with Reynolds, engaged in what could only be described as a playful shoving match. Elisabeth cringed as Reynolds followed Alicia’s punch with a roguish kick to the lieutenant’s backside, but she dodged it easily, seizing the opportunity to trip him up to the sand in the process. She hovered over him, shooting him a warning look before her features melted into a grin.

As she helped Mark up with triumphant laughter, Alicia caught Elisabeth’s eyes, acknowledging her with a friendly nod. Looking after the lieutenant who then took off in a jog towards the men calling for her from the perimeter fence, Elisabeth smirked. She thought her family had every right to be captivated by the woman.

 

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it! I hope you liked it - if you did, I'd really appreciate it if you took a moment to let me know.


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